Donald Trump's Tulsa Rally Was a Disaster

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | June 21, 2020 |

Allow me to direct you to my favorite Tweet of the month, from Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, seven days ago:

Just passed 800,000 tickets. Biggest data haul and rally signup of all time by 10x.

Saturday is going to be amazing! https://t.co/u2tQ812odW
— Brad Parscale (@parscale) June 14, 2020

Last night, 6,600 people showed up to the Bank of Oklahoma building, which holds 19,000. It was expected to be full, while thousands more were expected at the overflow building. Here’s the Secret Service dismantling the overflow stage, because no one was there:

Secret Service has moved crowd back from the overflow stage so it can be broken down. pic.twitter.com/iIxXfnpOPn
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) June 20, 2020

This is what that looked like before the stage was removed:

He only exists if we look at him. Take a tip from his own supporters and ignore the monster. pic.twitter.com/EY4MUmF6d6
— Derek DelGaudio (@derek_del) June 20, 2020

This is inside the arena, where Trump gave his speech:

I feel for @realDonaldTrump. I’ve done shows in a half empty venue. It doesn’t feel good. You have to dig deep and remember why you’re there: to spread hatred and lies. pic.twitter.com/9pAA5CLIgI
— Dave Foley (@DaveSFoley) June 20, 2020

The rally that we have all been dreading all week was a goddamn disaster.

It's official: Trump's Tulsa rally is an embarrassing disaster.

1⃣ The outdoor event has been cancelled.
2⃣ The overflow accommodations are unneeded.
3⃣ TV shows a half-empty arena.
4⃣ Trump is late—and angry.
5⃣ 6 members of his team already got coronavirus because of all this. https://t.co/vXP6VvdaiT
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) June 20, 2020

As for the speech itself, when he finally gave it to a half-empty auditorium? It, too, was a disaster. He drank water, to prove a point:

The degenerate left claimed President Trump had health issues after drinking water with 2 hands.

Today he drank with one and tossed the glass to the side! 🤣

GREATEST. PRESIDENT. EVER. pic.twitter.com/0EAGff1Bhb
— DeAnna Lorraine 🇺🇸 (@DeAnna4Congress) June 21, 2020

Remember last week, when he had difficulty going down a ramp. He spent a full half his speech explaining himself.

Lincoln saved the union. FDR vanquished Naziism. JFK sent us to the moon. Obama saved the economy. Trump walked down a ramp. https://t.co/uUhmR02R5w
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 21, 2020

My God, hearing the full story, it's a miracle anyone made it off that ramp alive
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) June 21, 2020

In his speech, he never mentioned George Floyd, nor the 115,000 people who have died of Covid-19, but he did refer to the “kung flu,” a phrase that Kellyanne Conway insisted no one in the White House would ever say a few weeks ago.

In March, after being told a WH official said "kung flu," Kellyanne Conway said wasn't true:

“I don’t know how these conversations go and that’s highly offensive. So, you should tell us all who it is. I’d like to know who it is.”

President Trump just referred to "kung flu"
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) June 21, 2020

Inexplicably, he also admitted to slowing down testing, which definitely got a lot of people killed.

Holy shit! Trump admitted flat out that he delivered a direct order for fewer tests to be performed, for the express purpose of ensuring that fewer Americans with coronavirus would be identified! https://t.co/41hpt44U3f
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 21, 2020

Otherwise, it was all just a rambling mess:

What’s most telling about this clip is how the crowd literally sits in silence through two whole minutes of this nonsensical blabbering but then erupts in applause when Trump uses the words “dumb son of a bitch”—it’s like that’s all they really want to hear… https://t.co/nXKAHmQauq
— Alexi Murdoch (@aleximurdoch) June 21, 2020

And here’s what happened, if you haven’t heard: KPop fans basically reserved 800,000 tickets for the event last week to troll the Trump campaign. It’s why Brad Parscale’s expectations were so high, why everyone though there would be a hundred thousand people in Tulsa this weekend. KPop fans! Wow! And that huge data haul Parscale bragged about? HAHA HA HA HAHA.

Tell me again why there are exactly zero academic jobs for people who research fans and fandoms? https://t.co/D1QVZj5fJI
— dr. lori morimoto (@acafanmom) June 21, 2020

To all the Zoomers and KPop stans who helped humiliate Trump today: pic.twitter.com/MgWJAJ26kb
— Christine (@LafayetteMom04) June 21, 2020

Everybody: Thank you Kpop stans!!
Kpop stans: pic.twitter.com/Cp9CjYZPFO
— Ellen Oh is on Hiatus & BlackLivesMatters Always (@ElloEllenOh) June 21, 2020

A train wreck, people. A train wreck!

I'll believe he can lose re-election when he actually does. But it was nice seeing the kick-off off his campaign be the "Artemis Fowl quietly dumped on Disney Plus" of nationalist events.
— Jessica Ritchey (@Ruby_Stevens) June 21, 2020

Happy Father’s Day!

I’m finding this picture from last night fascinating, when have we ever seen a picture of Trump looking so ungroomed, with his tie undone like this. It’s a picture of sad man who know he has failed. pic.twitter.com/XwHPTe4RZw
— Jane Lowther (@janelowther) June 21, 2020